Mr Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe
The General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU), of the Trades Union Congress, Ghana
has congratulated Ghanaian farmers for their dedication and resilience who work under the scorching sun, through floods and droughts, often with limited tools, inadequate extension services, and little social protection to sustain our well-being and contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Farmers day remains a day of national pride, a day we pause to honour our citizens whose efforts and hard work feed our nation, whose labour sustains our economy, and whose resilience has kept Ghana standing even in difficult times.
GAWU in a statement issued on the occasion of the this year’s National Farmers’ Day celebration acknowledged the relentless efforts of farmers in battling unpredictable weather conditions, market volatility, high input costs, within the Agricultural value chain to feed the nation.
The statement signed by the General Secretary , Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe also commend the government for the great initiatives introduced, such as the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA) to uplift our agricultural sector.
“We have seen, for example, more commitment to mechanisation, better support for irrigation schemes, and efforts to revive the “produce-what-we-eat, and, eat-what-we-produce” philosophy.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate government’s commitment to strengthening agriculture, creating opportunities for youth, and ensuring food security for the nation.
Today, as we join the nation in celebrating our hardworking farmers under the theme “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future,” we proclaim a complementary but urgent call affirming our position that:
“Farmers’ Day is Meaningless Without the Establishment of a Ghana Agricultural Service.”
This call like the theme emphasizes the need for a structure that ensures food security, local production, and sustainable livelihoods for a robust and self-reliant agricultural sector.
Yet, as much as we commend these good efforts, we must confront a hard truth: Farmers’ Day risks becoming just a ceremony unless we institutionalise support for agriculture in a very concrete, decisive and structural way. In that spirit,
GAWU calls for the establishment of a dedicated Ghana Agricultural Service (GAS), a permanent, professional service to drive policy formulation, extension, research, and implementation while consolidating our gains in agriculture as a pillar of national development.
With the great initiative in creating the Ghana Health Service for public health and the Ghana Education Service for professional teaching, we must commit to creating a professional and dedicated structure for the agriculture sector.
This is particularly important now because without a permanent professional service to drive policy formulation, extension, research, and implementation to make agriculture a pillar of national development, policies are often reactive, ad hoc, and lack long-term continuity.
Agricultural workers know the soil, understand the seasons, and the challenges but their voices are seldomly part of policy design.
This year’s theme calls on us to “feed Ghana” and “secure the future.” That future cannot be secured if we rely solely on temporary fixes.
A Ghana Agricultural Service would provide the institutional standing to deliver sustained extension support, monitor progress, and ensure accountability.
In line with the establishment of a Ghana Agricultural Service and for government to achieve the desired results as stipulated in the theme for this year’s farmers day,
We call on government to take action on these critical issues as well as the creation of employment of Agricultural Graduates to provide Extension Services.
The current ratio of farmers to extension officers is deeply worrying.
The current farmer-to-extension officer ratio in the country stands at 1: 1,500 farmers, far exceeding the internationally accepted standard of 1:500 farmers.
An unfortunate development which deviates from acceptable standards, and a sure barrier to effective farmer support.
Ghana however, produces many young graduates especially from the colleges of agriculture with knowledge in agronomy, crop science, livestock, horticulture, and the likes, yet most remain unemployed or under-employed because the institutions (such as, the department of agriculture, Ghana Cocoa Board, research institutes, etc.) that should absorb them lack the financial clearance or budgetary space to hire them.
The urgent need for recapitalization of the Ghana COCOBOD. Cocoa remains a mainstay of Ghana’s economy providing sustainable foreign direct investment, but the sector manned by COCOBOD is currently struggling with debts and limited capacity to invest in yield-
improving practices, value-addition, and support services, the sector is under threat. If we are serious about securing the future as our theme suggests, the government must recapitalise COCOBOD, to enable it to meet its mandates, support cocoa farmers, and ensure sustainable growth for the cocoa sector.
Ghana lacks sufficient infrastructure for research and development in many sub- sectors, notably horticulture. We must revisit the approval given by the Board of CSIR in 2013 to establish a national Horticulture Research Institute, to support our fruit, vegetable, and tree-crop farmers. The establishment of a Horticulture Research Institute is critical as an emerging major growth area, a dedicated institute will drive innovation, improve yields, and open new export opportunities, diversifying Ghana’s agricultural base.
As we honor our farmers today, let us remind ourselves that Farmers’ Day should not be a mere annual celebration but a reminder of our commitment to building a strong, modern, and inclusive agricultural sector.
One that respects the dignity of farmers, leverages their experience and empowers them, especially the youth with attractive opportunities.
If we truly want to secure the future, we must secure the people who feed the nation.
We reiterate the establishment of a Ghana Agricultural Service with adequate resources, extension, research, and inclusion of workers in policy. A Ghana Agricultural Service will ensure accountability, continuity, and professionalism across the entire agricultural chain.
To every farmer, farmworker, and seafood worker in Ghana:
We see you.
We honour you. We stand with you.
As the General Agricultural Workers’ Union of TUC–Ghana, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate, defend, and uplift the people who feed our nation.
A Special Tribute to Women in Agriculture
To our mothers, sisters, and daughters who plant, harvest, process, trade, and cook often without recognition:
GAWU stands with you.
We will continue to fight for your rights, your safety, and your rightful place in leadership in the agricultural sector.
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